Kuala Lumpur: The 15th ASEAN-Russia Tourism Consultation Meeting today identified several challenges that must be addressed to facilitate Russian tourists' arrival in the region.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry secretary-general Datuk Roslan Abdul Rahman stated that these challenges include economic sanctions on Russia, which have impacted tourists from the country. He highlighted that the meeting also explored alternative payment methods for Russian visitors in ASEAN countries, as many rely on card payments for services.

"These are among the issues we discussed, which could enhance ASEAN's appeal to Russian tourists. God willing, we will bring these matters to the ministerial meeting for further action," Roslan mentioned during a press conference after chairing the meeting.

The two-hour meeting, involving Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Russia as a dialogue partner, was part of the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) programmes currently taking place in Kuala Lumpur.

Regarding the 33rd ASEAN-India Tourism Working Group Meeting, which was also held today, Roslan said it aimed to boost tourism activities between ASEAN member states and India.

The six-day ATF 2025, which began on Wednesday, aims to promote regional tourism products, facilitate knowledge exchange, build valuable networking, and improve cooperation with leaders in the global tourism industry to increase the number of tourists visiting ASEAN.

This event marks Malaysia's second time hosting the ATF, the first being in Kuching, Sarawak, in 2014. Malaysia's hosting of ATF 2025 is particularly significant as it assumes the ASEAN chairmanship this year.